


Stargazer

by TheMarkovProperty



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, Follows Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service, Loneliness, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 06:43:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13289241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMarkovProperty/pseuds/TheMarkovProperty
Summary: Steven spends a day in town as he prepares for a night beneath the stars.





	Stargazer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crooked_Mantis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crooked_Mantis/gifts).



> I wrote this for [Crooked_Mantis](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Crooked_Mantis/pseuds/Crooked_Mantis) as part of the Cluster's Secret Santa fic exchange this year. They're a talanted writer, and you should check out their stuff if you haven't already!

“Yeah,” Greg hummed, nodding as he strummed out a melody on his guitar. “Yeah, yeah, _yeah!_ Just like that!”

“Wow!” Steven cheered. “I really like that one.”

“And then maybe something like this?”

But Steven was no longer listening, his mind having wandered off to find the right words to accompany their newest discovery.

Greg knew that look well and set his guitar aside as his son ran through the dozens of variations he’d come up with in a matter of moments. He took a long draught from the water bottle by his side, which had lain forgotten for the better part of an hour now as the two rehearsed in the car wash parking lot.

When Steven paused to make a note on the sheet in front of him, Greg asked, “What’s this new material for, anyway? You got a gig lined up?”

“No, no,” Steven laughed. “I’m just going stargazing tonight, and I wanted something to play.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot recently, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged. “The gems have been gone for a few weeks now, so…”

Greg sighed sympathetically, “They do that.”

“It helps pass the time. Plus, y’know.”

“I getcha. It probably gets lonely-”

A blast from a car horn announced the expiration of mayor Dewey’s patience. “Hey Universe!” he shouted out his window, “This car isn’t gonna clean itself!”

“Sorry, kiddo,” Greg said as he stood. “Duty calls.”

“It’s fine, dad. It’s lunchtime anyway. Do you want something?”

“Thanks buddy, but I’ll be OK.”

Steven hopped up and started storing their equipment in the van.

“Swing by later so we can finish up that jam of yours.”

“OK dad.”

“And Steven, you know you can always come talk to me.”

“I know.”

“I love you Stu-ball.”

“I love you too dad!”

* * *

Steven stood on the periphery of the boardwalk, waffling between his usual eateries. Part of him wanted to dash back home first to check if the gems were back, even though he knew they weren’t. He hadn’t heard the warp’s chime or seen the tell-tale effusion of light from the temple, but most of all he couldn’t Feel their presence. If they were back, he would just _know_.

He wasn’t worried, of course. They’d been gone for long periods before, and they always returned with cool stories, new friends, and, sometimes, even gifts.

So instead, he pondered his three main lunch options as he had every day since they left, although it was only two today since the Big Donut was closed for unspecified reasons.

For several minutes, he looked back and forth between the fry stand and Fish Stew Pizza. How was he supposed to decide? They were both so good!

As he belabored the decision, a commotion suddenly erupted from within the pizzeria. He rushed inside to find the twins in the midst of another argument.

“Come on, Kiki. _Please!_ I’m supposed to go hang with Buck and SC!”

She sighed exasperatedly, “But I’ve organized it the last five times!”

“So you’re really good at it,” Jenny countered. “You’ll do it way faster than I could.”

“You can’t just leave in the middle of our lunch rush!”

“Lunch rush? There’s no one- Oh, hey Steven!”

“Hey Kiki! Hey Jenny! What’s up?”

“ _Well_ ,” Jenny said, “I was supposed to go to the mall with Buck and Sour Cream, but Kiki says the supply room needs to be organized.”

“Dad said that,” Kiki corrected.

“Whatever. But can’t it wait? It’s just a dumb closet.”

They both looked to Steven for support.

“How long does it take to organize?” he asked.

“About an hour,” Kiki and Jenny said together.

“Why don’t you just do it now and meet up after you finish?”

“That’s a really good idea,” Kiki said, looking to her sister.

“They’re waiting on me, but I guess I could tell them to meet them there.” She turned back to Kiki, “Unless my favorite twin agrees to help me out.”

Kiki looked anxiously toward Steven, who mouthed back, _Just say ‘No.’_

She nodded and replied, “Sorry, Jenny, but I have to woman the front.”

Jenny shrugged, sighed a “that’s fair,” and left for the back room.

“Thanks again, Steven. I’m still getting used to the two-letter-word.”

“Happy to help!”

“So what can I get you?”

* * *

“What do you mean we’re out of ketchup?!”

“Out of ketchup?!” Steven cried, already dashing next door. “Oh no!” This was a true emergency! Checking on the gems would have to wait.

“Ron, I thought you went to the store,” Peedee complained. “Oh, hey Steven.”

“Is it true? How will you sell fries without ketchup?”

“We won’t.”

A voice came from the back of the store, “I’ll have you know that I did go to the store, but on the way back, my pocket interferometer recorded an extreme spike that I just had to investigate.”

“And?”

“ _And_ the groceries were weighing me down, Peedee! So I cast them off. The pursuit of the truth must be conducted unfettered, be they the shackles of interpersonal relationships, social norms, or the oppressive weight of highly processed tomato paste! Such is the code of the truthinaut!”

“Don’t worry, Peedee,” Steven said. “I needed to go shopping anyway. I’ll bring some ketchup back for you.”

“Wow, thanks Steven. That’s really nice of you,” Peedee replied. “Just make sure it’s-”

“The secret brand you use exclusively?” Steven winked, “I know the one.”

“It’s not a secret, and we’re only contractually exclusive, but thanks for the help.”

“Right, right,” Steven said, winking again. “Well, be right back!”

* * *

Steven cut across the park on his way to the store, as he often would to enjoy the scenery and the presence of townies and tourists alike, but something was different today, and it made him pause in his urgent mission. There was music coming from behind a tree on the far corner of the park. He could tell that they were a newer player, yet their style was smooth and confident.

“Buck?”

“Yo.”

“Wow, you sound great! You’ve improved so quickly!”

He shrugged, “Your dad is a great teacher.”

“Yeah, he is, but you must have been practicing a lot.”

“It’s soothing,” he replied, smiling as he strummed.

“Maybe we can start a band!”

“Steven,” Buck said, “That sounds copacetic.”

“What a classy word.”

“Not as classy as you.”

Steven grinned, “Well, I’m helping Peedee avoid a major frytastrophe, so I gotta run, but Jenny should be here in a bit.”

“Frytastrophe? That sounds serious. See you around, Steven.”

“Later Buck!”

* * *

As Steven neared the end of the street, he came across Sadie standing on the corner, looking about anxiously. Doubling his pace, he called out to her with a wide smile, which she returned with a bashful wave.

“Sadie! Sadie! Sadie! Is that a new dress?”

“Umm, yeah.”

“You look so pretty!”

“Thanks,” she said quietly. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, as if checking to see if someone was coming. Steven immediately realized that she had looked toward Lars’ house.

Steven gasped in delight, “Wait a minute! Are _you_ taking _Lars_ on a _date?!_ ”

“What? No, no, no! Nothing like that. We’re just going to see a movie!” Confronted by Steven’s earnest expression she felt compelled to add, “Really!”

“You are!”

“I’m not! We’re just- two _friends_ mutually agreeing to go – by ourselves – to see a movie at the same time and-”

“There he is!” Steven cried, pointing behind her.

Sadie jumped nearly a foot off the ground, “A-already?” She dared another glance behind her but couldn’t spot him. “Where?” She turned around to find Steven beaming and jumping in celebration.

“You really are! Wow, this is so great!”

“OK, OK, OK, shhhh,” she said, holding him down by the shoulders so he wouldn’t float off and alert the whole town. “Look, it’s not _officially_ a date, but-”

“But it totally is, though!”

“But it totally is,” she begrudgingly admitted.

“Well, I’m really happy for you guys, and I think you look great.”

She smiled slightly as she let him go, “Thanks, Steven.”

“Do you want some company until he gets here?”

“You know. That’d be nice.”

* * *

The ketchup had been easy to acquire, and it was added to Steven’s pile of groceries and stargazing supplies, consisting of peanut butter and jelly sandwich ingredients, durian juice, and a couple bags of eccentric Chaaaaps! flavors. After delivering the ketchup to a grateful Peedee, wishing Jenny fun on her trip to the mall, and finishing up music practice with his dad, Steven decided it was time to head home for the day.

As he made his way up the beach, groceries slung over his shoulder, his phone began to vibrate and chime in his favorite way.

“Hey Connie!” he greeted cheerfully.

“Hey Steven!

“What’s up?”

“What’s up with _you_?”

“Not mu- Hey, no fair! I asked first!”

“Well, technically… ”

“I didn’t hear you ask me anything,” Steven said suspiciously.

“True, but, you see, a phone call is like a contract that conveys an _implicit_ inquiry of ‘What’s up,’ so by answering, you’ve already consented to giving me the lowdown!”

“I didn’t agree to these terms!”

“They were in the fine print of our friendship charter.”

“Drat. I only made it through page 33.”

“You made it that far?”

“I meant to finish it, but I left it on the counter, and Amethyst mistook it for a giant sugar cube…”

“I think my mom keeps a few spares filed away if-”

“Umm. That’s OK.”

Connie snickered through the line, “I haven’t read it either.”

Steven smiled. “So why’d you call?”

“I just wanted to know how you’re doing. Are you OK? Are the gems back yet?”

“They weren’t this morning, but I’m sure they will be soon! They’ve never been gone this long before, so they have to be almost done. Right?”

“Do you think we should go look for them?”

“I don’t know where they went. They could be anywhere on Ear- uhh, anywhere.”

“Right.”

There was a note of sadness in her voice, although not out of disappointment. Certainly, a part of her, a part that she had only recently discovered, a part that was only now starting to blossom under Pearl’s tutelage, called for action swift and decisive, but that was not what Steven heard. The sympathy in her voice was all too clear to him.

But Steven didn’t want anyone to feel sad on his account. He didn’t need anyone to worry for his sake, least of all Connie, who had enough problems of her own. He was fine. Everything, in fact, was fine. The gems would return just as they always did, so it was silly to worry about them. Silly even to miss them, maybe even selfish because, wherever they had gone, they were protecting the planet. And so, really, it was a good thing that they weren’t here because it meant they were out helping someone.

The others had taught him that, sometimes, a Crystal Gem needed to make sacrifices for the good of everyone. This was his contribution. He could watch over himself for a couple of days, weeks… months. It was fine. After everything the other Crystal Gems had done to protect the Earth, it was the least he could do.

So he insisted, “It’s no big deal. Really.”

Before Connie could press further, Steven asked, “How was school?”

“School was good. My team won the basketball finals in PE. The coach wants me to try out, but I think I’m too short, and I’m definitely way too busy.” She laughed, “Right now, I’m on my way to tennis practice, and after that I’ve got a violin lesson and homework to finish before I can get back to reading. How was your day?”

“It was great! I rocked out with my dad, I helped out Peedee and Jenny, Sadie and Lars went on a _date!_ And tonight I’m going Stargazing!”

The line fell silent for a moment.

“Connie? Hello?”

“Didn’t you go last night?”

“Oh. Yeah, but, I mean, they have to get lonely, right?”

“How can they be lonely when they have such a great friend?”

Steven giggled, “That’s the plan!”

There was another beat of silence, and then, “It’s really thoughtful, but don’t- I mean…”

“Connie?”

“Nevermind. Forget I said anything.”

“No. No, you’re right. But I’ll be OK.”

As Connie replied, Steven could almost see her easy smile, and he allowed himself to relax for just a moment.

“Say ‘hi’ for me,” she said.

“Will do! Have fun at tennis practice!”

“Bye!”

Steven hung up the phone and glanced briefly out over the ocean. Frowning, he walked back inside.

The gems still weren’t back.

* * *

As night settled on Beach City, Steven shut down his Dolphin game system and began gathering the supplies he’d bought earlier in the day. Being careful to avoid squishing the bread, he packed them into his backpack, picked up his ukulele, and made his way into the Temple.

“Hey guys!” he cried, “I’m back!”

The soft glow of the lava pit illuminated the chamber in the eternal, technicolor dance of the Crystal Gems’ Fallen Stars. The motes of light gliding across his skin served as his only greeting as he took his usual spot near the center.

“I know you probably miss Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst, but I thought maybe you’d wanna hang out with me again!”

The gems remained silent, but Steven didn’t hold that against them. They had earned that right.

He noticed a familiar, green orb, suspended right where he himself had placed it. He reached out and called it down to his side. “I brought you some Chaaaaps!,” he told her. “They had a new flavor in the store: spicy ranch barbecue. I think you’ll really like it. Y’know, once I get my healing powers back.”

He smiled to himself, sending the chips back with her to join the nebula of bubbled bags from visits past.  

And so, as he ate his sandwich, he told them about his day: about how Buck was improving as a musician, about how Kiki was still learning to stick up for herself, about Lars and Sadie’s date, about Connie’s victory in PE, and many topics beside, eagerly switching between them as each new idea branched off into its own tangent.

When he ran out of words, Steven picked up his ukulele and began to play for the Crystal Gems of ages past. But not just for them, for when he looked up he didn’t see rebels, loyalists, shards, or monsters: he saw Stars. And one day, when he was good enough…

The song he played for them was soft and slow and sweet, but it soon grew faster and bolder, building until it resonated with an irrepressible energy.

Then, he began to sing, and as he did, the chamber filled with the glow of gems and the presence of a million silenced voices:

“We are the Crystal Gems…”


End file.
